Chapter 10

"In a year of great famine, people sell themselves as meat in the market, known as 'vegetable people'..."

The nursery rhyme entering his ears still started with this sentence.

Only this time, it was accompanied by scenes as if he were immersed in the scene; one scene after another, it was clearly a bloody reality.

The preaching, which was completely unreasonable, attempted to implant the insane information of a doomsday purgatory into Li Yu's heart and soul.

For the first time, Li Yu heard the full "Song of the Vegetable People" and also felt the calling from the "Jinshen."

This evil god, which Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang said could rival the six great righteous gods, was currently stuffing a large amount of disgusting and horrific sacrificial scenes into Li Yu's mind, wanting to make him convert.

Even, before receiving the offerings from Li Yu, it gave some benefits in advance.

For example!

The next sequence of the Jinshen path, Sequence 8 【Vegetable Person】, faintly drilled into his heart and soul.

Li Yu didn't doubt at all that as long as he was willing to kneel before that sacrificial table, even if it were just a devout prayer, he could directly obtain the secret medicine formula for Sequence 7.

If he were willing to perform a sacrifice, the benefits would be even greater.

"Is this the gift and spiritual connection that evil god believers dream of? Encountering it once is a great opportunity."

"Sequence 7, Blood Slave? Heh, I won't be anyone's slave."

With a cold laugh, Li Yu suddenly pulled out a bone-cleaving knife and chopped it directly into his own thigh.

The intense pain allowed him to instantly wake up and pull himself out of that great temptation, and also forced the forbidden egg that was about to stir to repair the damaged shell.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he retreated several steps directly, out of the line of sight, and instructed Hongdou to go in and collect both objects, putting them directly at the bottom of the box to gather dust.

Li Yu, with a solemn face, returned to the main room and took out paper and pen, wanting to write the first extraordinary menu.

With the corpse and the filthy storage room cleaned up, he naturally had to continue pushing forward his spiritual food private kitchen business.

If other evil cultivators in Wanfu City had seen that scene just now, they would definitely have cursed Li Yu for not knowing what was good for him and wasting the evil god's gift.

If Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang were resurrected, they would be even more devastated.

Kneeling to the Jinshen could obtain the secret medicine formula for Sequence 7 【Blood Slave】, and there were other benefits to sacrificing.

Li Yu actually ignored such an opportunity.

One must know that even in Wanfu City, where there are countless powerhouses, a Sequence 7 transcendent is already not weak; narrowed down to the Tianji Workshop area in the South District, it is enough to be a superior person.

But he, Li Yu, was unwilling.

"Transcendents of the Jinshen path are all perverts addicted to eating people; I'm afraid the higher the sequence, the more disgusting they are."

"Even the original self, a minor who had been kept in captivity since childhood, looked down on this kind of thing and committed suicide with great perseverance. Since I have obtained his shell, I cannot lose."

"It is the best strategy to complete the planning as soon as possible, establish a firm foothold, charge the Truth Bubble, have more reliance, and find the God Path most suitable for me."

As these thoughts flashed by, Li Yu had already written the menu.

There was already a copy of the "Jinshen Cookbook" in his mind, and all he had to do was remove the dishes that required "humans" as ingredients.

This was equivalent to removing eighty percent; fortunately, the remaining twenty percent was enough to make up a menu of dozens of dishes.

And, it was extraordinary.

Li Yu looked at the sloppy menu he had handwritten, with each dish thoughtfully noting the main ingredients, effects, and taste.

The rumbling in his belly rang out again, but this time, it was he himself who was greedy.

Just the first few signature dishes he had carefully selected, combined with the illusions presented by the extraordinary cookbook, were enough to make the gluttonous worms in his belly scream.

"Human delicacies, treasures of the world, extraordinary dishes, virility-boosting, beauty-enhancing, body-tempering, life-extending... With these words combined, who could resist?"

"Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang once mentioned that the Sequence 5 powerhouse of the Jinshen path in the East District, 【Old Demon Zhu Can】, opened a Garuda Grand Restaurant, which is a must-visit place for many high-sequence powerhouses in Wanfu City to gather and feast. The private menu not open to the public has dishes that are each comparable to spiritual pills, and some even have effects equivalent to the secret medicine formulas of low sequences."

"I suppose that old demon holds more than one Jinshen cookbook."

When Li Yu muttered to this point, there was no trace of envy on his face, but rather disgust.

It was very simple; from the contents of the account book, he knew that the guy was one of the top perverted cannibals in the city.

Compared to that, the actions of Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang were nothing.

"However, the pricing of my menu can be benchmarked against that Garuda Restaurant."

"Low-level or some low-level Sequence 8 transcendents don't have the capital to consume on the upper floors of that restaurant, but they can eat at my private kitchen. How could they have any reason to refuse?"

Thinking of this, Li Yu felt that the business he had thought of on a whim was already incredibly stable.

But how it would actually go still required him to push forward and confirm.

So he didn't delay any longer, stood up immediately, and took the menu to go out and send invitations.

Before leaving, he casually instructed the mechanical maid Hongdou:

"Clean up the house, especially the kitchen area."

"Very well, Master."

Amidst the sweet fox girl voice, Li Yu left home again to seek a living by taking risks.

That's right, even the act of inviting diners was risky.

The reason?

Who told him that the people he wanted to invite were not ordinary people, but some bottom-tier evil cultivators who were mostly perverted or had mental problems.

He was a newcomer and had no interpersonal network of his own.

The first batch of diners could only be selected from those "neighbors" and "business partners" often mentioned by the original parents.

How many good people could there be among those who hung out with Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang?

I suppose the news of their deaths had already spread.

Li Yu coming to invite them at this juncture, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't anger a few perverts and cause a conflict.

For this reason, the first batch of invitees he selected were not "Sequence 8" powerhouses, but all unranked evil cultivators.

Even if they really had to fight to the death, if he went all out to stimulate the forbidden egg to take over the shell, his chances of winning would be much higher. At worst, he would imitate the original self afterward and perform self-mutilation, turning himself into a human stick; painful as it would be, staying alive would not be difficult.

"I worked hard to change my job to a chef, and I have to risk my life to invite people to eat."

"This shit world, this shit way of life."

"Pah!"

When Li Yu finished complaining, he was already standing in front of a tofu stall on the old street.

Before him were a few empty bamboo baskets, with some bits of tofu stuck in the corners, and the stall owner was not there.

It was currently the Shen hour (3-5 PM), so it was reasonable for the tofu to be sold out.

But the unreasonable part was also very obvious: it was from inside the half-hidden door behind the tofu stall that sounds of men and women fighting on a bed were coming.

One must know that it wasn't even night yet.

In broad daylight, on the street, separated by a door, so blatant?

Knowing they were busy inside, Li Yu naturally wouldn't ask for trouble by knocking on the door, nor did he intend to wait foolishly. He could guarantee that if he stayed for a moment longer, the related rumors would spread throughout the old street tonight. However, just as he was about to turn around to find the next candidate diner, a low roar suddenly came from behind the door, accompanied by rustling movements.

The next moment, the door swung open, and a thin figure was thrown out, appearing at Li Yu's feet like a rolling gourd.

Skinny as a rail, pale-faced, trembling all over, but with an expression of extreme pleasure on his face.

After Li Yu took a look, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

Because he had seen this person when he closed the shop; at that time, he was a burly man full of fat.

In such a short time, he had lost at least two hundred catties?

Even if he were to use a bone-cleaving knife to chop, it would take a lot of effort to chop out two hundred catties of meat.

"So amazing!"

When Li Yu sighed like this in his heart, a soft and moving voice came from the door in front.

"Rest for three months, replenish your Qi and blood, and then come find me again; otherwise, what I will collect is your life."

"Next!"

=9+Shu_ba

"Sister Cui, it's me, the one who inherited the Jiao family meat shop."

"I've come to find you this time not for pleasure, but to invite you to something good."

Seeing that the woman in the door also took him for a customer who had come to risk his life for pleasure, Li Yu hurriedly opened his mouth to explain.

"Hmm?"

Amidst a surprise, the door opened again.

Accompanied by a strong fragrance that made one's Qi and blood surge and desires rise, a graceful figure slowly walked out and stood in front of Li Yu.

This woman was thinly dressed, half-covering and half-revealing some sensitive areas, with a slender waist, raised breasts, charming makeup, and a pair of eyes that seemed to be dripping with water.

Li Yu instantly understood why Sun Sun Sanniang often spoke ill of this woman out of jealousy; her business being good was reasonable.

Of course, precisely because he knew some of the other party's background.

At this moment, Li Yu not only didn't take advantage of her, but instead restrained his gaze, trying his best to stabilize his heart and soul, not letting a single trace of desire overflow.

In his mind, information related to her surfaced:

"Cui Yuan!"

"The 'Tofu Beauty' with quite a reputation on the old street of Tianji Workshop, who secretly engages in the flesh trade, but doesn't collect any money or worldly goods. Every time she trades, she demands the essence, blood, and life of the customer. Because she has practiced several evil arts of 'harvesting the yang to replenish the yin,' even the most vigorous and skilled men in bed can't get any advantage when facing her and have to pay the price obediently."

"Despite this, her customers are still endless. It is rumored that as long as one goes once, one will be captured by her until one is completely drained."

"Her age is unknown, the evil god she believes in is unknown, and it is only known that she has not yet officially been promoted to Sequence 8 and is still unranked."

"If this woman were in the film and television works of my past life, she would definitely be a female demon, but in this Wanfu City, she is already at the harmless level and should be the first candidate diner."

Li Yu sighed so much in his heart, but his hand movements were not slow.

Fully implementing his dull and cold persona, without waiting for Cui Yuan to ask, he took the initiative to hand over the menu and then said stiffly:

"Sister Cui, I've closed the meat shop permanently and have changed to a different business."

"Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang didn't leave me anything else, only a set of extraordinary culinary skills and a cookbook from a god."

"Tonight, my private kitchen is opening for the first time. If Sister Cui is interested in coming, you can order now."

Seeing it was Li Yu at first, Cui Yuan had intended to tease him.

But before she could speak, she was blocked back, and upon raising her eyes, she saw an extraordinary menu.

When she saw clearly the signature dishes that Li Yu had deliberately placed at the very front, the words of consideration and refusal were swallowed back.

"Nine-Treasure Yin Toad Soup!"

"Yin toad as the main ingredient, supplemented by nine treasures, and then using the 'vegetable person' culinary skill to extract the essence. It is a supreme yin delicacy; eating it brings pleasure equivalent to nine times of intercourse, and it also has yin-nourishing spiritual effects, lasting for three days."

"Puppy... kid, don't tell me you're here to tease your sister? Do you have the ability to make this kind of spiritual food?"

"I've never heard of Jiao Qing and Sun Sun Sanniang knowing these things?"

"Those two poor wretches went to the Garuda Grand Restaurant once and came back bragging for several days. If they really had this kind of skill, they would have applied to be head chefs and defected to that Zhu Can long ago."

Cui Yuan read out the content of the dishes in disbelief while questioning him.

Li Yu had been waiting for her to ask, and upon hearing this, he immediately replied:

"If those two could have eaten me last night, they would have been able to possess this skill."

"Unfortunately, the winner was me."

"Since I have given the dishes, I naturally know how to make them."

"If Sister Cui has any doubts, you can order the dishes in advance without paying. Come to my courtyard tonight, and it will be fine to settle the bill after eating."

"Good!"

Hearing Li Yu's honest answer, Cui Yuan immediately believed most of it.

Not being coy, she scanned the menu carefully and ordered directly:

"Then the Nine-Treasure Yin Toad Soup, Ghost Clam Sashimi, and Peach Gum Stewed Jade Rabbit, these three dishes... priced at one hundred taels of silver in total?"

"Tsk tsk, you really dare to ask. Do you know that even on the second floor of the Garuda Restaurant, ordering three dishes doesn't require this much silver."

"My culinary skills and cookbook can barely touch the floor of the third floor. Sister Cui will know how delicious and cost-effective it is after eating tonight."

Hearing Li Yu say this, Cui Yuan had nothing more to say.

It was outrageous to eat a meal for a hundred taels of silver, but if it was "spiritual food," that was a different matter.

Not to mention in the chaotic and oppressive Wanfu City, even in the peaceful and prosperous Qian, Jing, and Li kingdoms, spiritual food still belonged to the category of luxury goods, and there was almost no upper limit to how expensive it could get.

Seeing that she had accepted, Li Yu took the charcoal pen and made a check mark after the three dishes.

He quickly bid farewell to Cui Yuan, who wanted to drag him into the house for pleasure, and turned to go to the next candidate diner.

A few seconds later, Li Yu's figure appeared again in front of a foul-smelling fish stall on the old street.

Because of the time, this stall didn't have a single customer, only wooden basins placed there, all filled with foul water.

And the stall owner was a middle-aged man who was ugly and slovenly, covered all over with fish-scale moles. At this moment, he was holding a fishing rod, teasing the water in the wooden basin in front of him, where seven or eight strange fish of different sizes were swimming.

The reason for saying they were "strange" was because Li Yu saw it clearly.

The head of every fish was actually deformed, and faintly looking at it, it somewhat resembled a human face?

Every time he shook the fishhook, these fish made sounds like a baby crying, scattering and fleeing, afraid of being hooked.

This scene made the stall owner laugh out loud.

As Li Yu watched, relevant memories surfaced in his mind again:

"Sikong Nian, his public identity is a fisherman, but in reality, he engages in killing people and stealing goods, often dragging people into the water to drown."

"Because of the evil arts he practices, his combat power in the water is extremely strong, and he can salvage some strange objects and curiosities from the water, and he seems to possess an evil art that can melt human souls with fish and shrimp."

"He believes in some evil god related to water, the path is unknown, and he is currently trying to be promoted to Sequence 8, known as 【Water Ghost】. The formula has long been collected, but he has never dared to experience the water torture ritual, and he is also unranked."

(End of chapter)